Diego Acosta

Senior Lecturer, European and Migration LawUniversity of Bristol

May 8, 2017

During the 19th century, the new Republics in South America and Brazil tried to attract European migrants through open border provisions, with the guarantee of equal treatment and easy access to naturalization. However, the 20th Century witnessed the slow but steady construction of the foreigner as a threat through different exclusions on grounds of race, ethnicity, morals, wealth or political opinions. The presentation offered an account of such historical legal development and highlighted the influence United States migration law had in such construction. Dr. Acosta offered some thoughts as to the ongoing influence such accumulation of restrictive practices played during the century and continue in today´s migration frameworks.